- Yemen: Houthis launch missiles at Saudi Arabia after strikes on Sanaa airport
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Yemen’s Houthis said they launched missiles at Abha airport in south-western Saudi Arabia on Monday in response to air strikes on Sanaa’s airport that they blamed on the kingdom. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, which backs the country’s internationally-recognised [Saudi puppet regime], said its air defences ‘dealt with’ the missiles and no casualties were reported. The Houthis, who control north-western Yemen and are backed by Iran, earlier accused Saudi Arabia of ‘blatant aggression’, saying it had struck the runway of Sanaa’s airport. The strike was claimed by Yemen’s [Saudi puppet regime], which said it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.” (07/14/26)
- US Regime Approves Launch of Mirror Satellite That Can Reflect Sunlight and Illuminate the Earth at Night
Source: Wired
“On July 9, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized Reflect Orbital to build, launch, and operate a mirror satellite in low Earth orbit. The experimental satellite, named Eärendil-1, would be capable of reflecting sunlight onto specific locations on Earth during the night. The project has long drawn criticism from astronomers and environmental advocates. … Equipped with an 18-meter reflector, Eärendil-1 could illuminate areas 5 to 6 kilometers in diameter for brief periods (the mirror satellite’s name is a reference to a character from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series). The authorization allows the company to deploy the test satellite at an altitude of about 625 kilometers. Its primary objective is to evaluate the technical feasibility of its ultrathin, highly reflective, film-based reflector.” (07/24/26)
- Spain: Sanchez’s Brother Convicted in Nepotism Case
Source: US News & World Report
“David Sanchez, the brother of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was convicted of administrative misconduct on Tuesday and banned from holding public office for nine years over his appointment to a cultural post by the provincial government of Badajoz in 2017. The ruling deals a fresh political blow to the Socialist premier, whose government and inner circle have faced corruption investigations and scandals over the past two years. Last month, a former close aide to Sanchez was sentenced to 24 years in prison in a separate corruption case. David Sanchez was accused of benefiting from an appointment tailored to him because of his family connection to the prime minister, who when the job was awarded had just been elected leader of the Socialists when they were still in opposition. The prime minister has dismissed the case as part of a politically motivated campaign driven by the far right.” (07/14/26)
- ID: Voters will decide whether to reinstate abortion access
Source: Seattle Times
“Idaho voters will decide in November whether to restore widespread access to abortion after years of some of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws, election officials confirmed Monday. Idahoans United for Women and Families said Monday that a ballot initiative it created to carve out reproductive healthcare protections, including the right to abortion, met criteria to be on voters’ ballots for the general election on Nov. 3. Voters will see the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, which says it will establish ‘a right to make private reproductive healthcare decisions’ on their ballots. The proposal would prevent the state from prohibiting or interfering with reproductive healthcare, including contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage management and childbirth care.” (07/14/26)
- WHO: DR Congo Ebola outbreak’s true scale could be four times higher than official toll
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could be four times bigger than official figures suggest. According to the DR Congo’s latest official figures, the haemorrhagic fever has infected more than 1,960 people and killed over 700 since it was detected two months ago. But WHO emergencies director Chikwe Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva that its modelling indicated ‘the scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases that we have found’. According to official numbers, this is already one of the largest Ebola outbreaks recorded, with the virus spreading faster than ever seen before.” (07/14/26)
- Poll: Confidence in higher education slips after brief recovery
Source: Fox News
“Public confidence in American higher education has taken a fresh hit, erasing a brief period of recovery, as concerns over campus politics and financial value intensify, according to a new Gallup poll obtained by Fox News Digital. The latest data reveals that just 38% of U.S. adults maintain a ‘great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of confidence in higher education. The figure represents a noticeable drop from last year, when trust in the sector experienced a modest uptick to 42%. … The current 38% confidence mark underscores a steep, long-term decline from 2015, when 57% of Americans expressed solid trust in higher education. Significant drops followed in 2018 and 2023.” (07/14/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/confidence-higher-education-slips-brief-recovery-gallup-poll-finds
- US regime moves $288 million in stolen bitcoin, ether to Coinbase Prime
Source: CoinDesk
“The U.S. government just staged its [stolen] crypto for an exchange, and it took an extra hop to get there. Wallets tied to the government moved about $288 million in [stolen] bitcoin and ether onto Coinbase Prime over roughly half a day on Monday, blockchain data from Arkham shows. The ether went direct, while the bitcoin took a detour through intermediary wallets first. The movements are despite an executive order in March 2025 by President Donald Trump, which designated [stolen] bitcoin for the country’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and said it should not be sold.” (07/14/26)
- NY: Hochul orders election year “pause” on new large-scale data centers to power AI
Source: New York Post
“New York state regulators won’t issue environmental permits for large-scale data centers for the next year, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. Hochul will sign an executive order implementing a ‘moratorium’ on new air permits for so-called ‘hyperscale’ data centers trying to tap into the Empire State’s electrical grid for up to a year. … Roughly half of New York voters polled by Siena University last month said they thought a one-year moratorium on large data centers was good for the state, while 21% said they thought it was a bad idea and 17% indicated they were somewhere in the middle.” (07/14/26)
- Israel: Knesset passes law sought by ultra-Orthodox to skip mandatory military service
Source: The New Arab [UK]
“Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a law declaring the study of Jewish religious texts a ‘fundamental value’ of the state, a move widely seen as strengthening the ultra-Orthodox community’s case for exemption from mandatory military service. … For decades, most ultra-Orthodox Jewish men have avoided Israel’s mandatory military service by registering as full-time religious students. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled this exemption illegal, and the military—stretched thin after more than two years of war—has demanded more recruits. Rather than directly legislating an exemption, which the court would likely strike down, the coalition took an indirect route: drafting a ‘Basic Law’—a type of legislation with quasi-constitutional weight in Israel—declaring Torah study ‘a core national value’.” (07/14/26)
https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-knesset-passes-law-ultra-orthodox-seek-skip-military
- EU bans gold imports from Sudan to curb money financing the war
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The European Union (EU) has banned the purchase, import and transfer of gold from Sudan, saying the trade has become a key source of financing for the country’s civil war that erupted in April 2023. The conflict between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, forcing more than 14 million people from their homes. Sudan is one of Africa’s largest gold producers and its vast reserves have become a crucial source of revenue for both sides, according to rights groups. EU foreign ministers approved the measures alongside a ban on exports to Sudan of mercury and cyanide, chemicals widely used in gold mining.” (07/14/26)
- China: Regime Purges Third Politburo Member in Deepening Anti-Graft Drive
Source: US News & World Report
“China has expelled Ma Xingrui, a former Politburo member, from the ruling Communist Party on corruption charges, making him the third sitting member of the elite decision-making body to be purged since 2025 as President Xi Jinping intensifies his anti-graft campaign. Ma, who also served as the deputy head of the central rural work leading group, was placed under investigation in April over suspected ‘serious violation of law and discipline’ – the party’s euphemism for corruption. Investigators found that Ma had sought benefits for others in the selection and appointment of officials and improperly arranged jobs for others, Xinhua reported.” (07/14/26)
- Trump-backed Daylight Saving Time bill clears key House hurdle
Source: Fox News
“A bipartisan push to make Daylight Saving Time permanent is heading for a chamber-wide vote after clearing a key House hurdle. The House Rules Committee on Monday teed up a floor vote on the Sunshine Protection Act, which would allow states to enact Daylight Saving Time year-round — with an option to opt out. The committee approved the rule in a 6-4 vote. The measure has the support of many coastal lawmakers and President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly urged Congress to make Daylight Saving Time permanent and end the twice-a-year ritual of changing clocks — a practice currently observed by every state except Hawaii and most of Arizona.” (07/13/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-backed-daylight-saving-time-bill-clears-key-house-hurdle
- US inflation cooled more than expected in June as gas prices fell
Source: Fox Business
“Inflation pulled back in June after surging in prior months due to the Iran war’s impact on energy prices throughout the economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Tuesday that the consumer price index (CPI) – a broad measure of how much everyday goods like gasoline, groceries and rent cost – declined 0.4% on a monthly basis in June and was up 3.5% from a year ago. The monthly decline was the largest since a 0.8% decrease in April 2020. Those figures were cooler than the estimates of economists polled by LSEG, who predicted a decline of 0.1% on a monthly basis and a 3.8% increase from a year ago. They also represent a cooling trend from the 0.5% monthly increase and the 4.2% annual rise recorded in the May edition of the report.” (07/14/26)
- CA: Newsom signs new affordable housing bill in Oakland
Source: SFGate
“Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a housing bill Monday that will change how the state finances and delivers new affordable housing units. … Assembly Bill 179 is a housing budget trailer bill, aimed at modernizing California’s affordable housing finance system and strengthening the state’s impact of housing investments. The bill will reduce the cost of building affordable housing by an estimated $60,000 to $70,000 per unit through one-stop shop financing reforms and impact fee changes. The legislative changes are designed to take out extra administrative steps and fees in the process for building affordable housing units across the state.” (07/13/26)
- Social Security Is Not a Generational Contract
Source: The Daily Economy
by Ethan Nevid“How can one sign a contract before birth? That question can’t be answered by President Bill Clinton, who said ‘we mustn’t break the solemn compact between generations,’ in a 1998 address on Social Security. Such a speech constructs Social Security as a contractual mandate in need of protection rather than an insurance and redistribution program. Grand national ‘contracts’ should face significant scrutiny, as they borrow the moral force of a contract without the requirements that define one. … Legally, the four requirements of a contract are offer, consideration, acceptance, and an intention to create legal relations. A person not yet born cannot be offered a contract, consider it in any manner or ask for compensation, accept it in any way, or intend legal relations. By any measure, Social Security cannot be a legal contract.” (07/14/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/social-security-is-not-a-generational-contract/
- Rubio’s Anti-ICC Campaign is an Anti-“Sovereignty” Project
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“Rubio’s problem with the ICC isn’t that it can ‘override the courts and constitutions of the U.S. and other sovereign states.’ It’s that when an American allegedly commits a relevant crime on the soil of an ICC member state, the ICC, rather than US courts, adjudicates the matter. To put it a different way, Rubio’s demand of ICC member states is ‘global sovereignty for the US, no sovereignty for anyone else.'” (07/14/26)
- War: The Dreaded Enemy of Liberty
Source: EconLog
by Christopher Coyne & Abigail R Hall“One of the defining features of war is the centralization of state power. War and foreign intervention require the use of resources and the ability to make choices about how to use them. As national governments are responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing war and other foreign intervention, war necessarily draws peripheral political units (e.g., state and local authorities) toward the political center. … This bureaucratization of life, the drawing of peripheral units of government toward the political center, effectively erodes the pluralism of democratic governments. Instead of working to provide a check or counterbalance to the central government, peripheral political units become aligned with the goals of the central government.” (07/14/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/war-the-dreaded-enemy-of-liberty
- The Inconvenient Jew Is One of Zionism’s Biggest Problems
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jason Jones“Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter recently offered what he apparently believed was a devastating answer to those decrying the genocide in Gaza. ‘Jews do not use children’s blood for rituals,’ Leiter said. ‘Jews do not poison wells. And Jews do not starve populations or commit genocide.’ The smear in this common Zionist talking point is obvious: Those who accuse the Israeli government belong in the same moral category as those who spread medieval blood libels against innocent Jews. To say the regime of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has committed genocide is not merely to criticize a government, an army, or a political ideology. It is to accuse ‘the Jews.’ But there is a growing problem for Zionism and its favorite smear: the moral indignation of Jews.” (07/14/26)
- A Horrific System of Death and Destruction of Liberty
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“Let’s give credit where credit is due: The Trump administration, including ICE and the Border Patrol, is showing what needs to be done to ‘secure the border.’ For decades, advocates of America’s socialist system of immigration controls have assumed that it’s possible to have a gentle and benign immigration-control system, one that not only works to keep out illegal immigrants but also treats people with kindness and respect. Among my favorite statist mantras is, ‘We just need comprehensive immigration reform to fix America’s broken immigration system.’ That has always been a pipe dream.” (07/14/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/07/14/a-horrific-system-of-death-and-destruction-of-liberty/
- The Politics of Exclusion
Source: Gideon’s Substack
by Noah Millman“A new Israeli party aimed at finding common ground may only make coalition-building harder.” (07/14/26)
- Socialists to Seize Power?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“Evan Barker isn’t surprised. ‘The democratic socialist surge of the past several weeks has stunned the nation,’ this former Democratic operative wrote last week. ‘From left to right and everywhere in between, people are asking: How did we get here? What does it mean? And will the Democratic Party survive it? The prevailing reaction has been shock.’ She’s not shocked, though, because for half a decade she had worked for ‘a slew of progressive candidates’ teaching ‘DSA-aligned staffers how to build a money machine for the left; coached progressive politicians on how to speak to donors; and collaborated with billionaires to create a robust fundraising network.'” (07/14/26)
- Russell Kirk’s American Conservatism
Source: Law & Liberty
by Allen Mendenhall“What better way to observe the semiquincentennial of the American founding than in the company of Russell Kirk? A true gentleman, Kirk spent his career insisting that the founding was neither a revolution in the modern sense nor an experiment in abstraction but, rather, a carefully cultivated inheritance, rooted in centuries of English common law, Christian moral order, and classical wisdom. A new collection of his essays offers a corrective to the sentimentality and ideological appropriation that too often attend our national anniversaries.” (07/14/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/russell-kirks-american-conservatism/
- Lindsey Graham Embodied the Republican Party’s Authoritarian Drift
Source: The New Republic
by Alex Shephard“Over more than 30 years in Congress, the South Carolina senator reflected the GOP’s cynicism, warmongering, and abandonment of democratic principles.” (07/14/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/213022/lindsey-graham-republican-party-authoritarian-drift
- “Government Totally Annihilated”: How Americans Governed Themselves as British Rule Crumbled
Source: Reason
by Jesse Walker“America in the mid-1770s was a jumble of spontaneous formations amid the ruins of an empire.” (07/14/26)
https://reason.com/2026/07/14/government-totally-annihilated/
- NYCHA’s $465,000-a-year plumber is just a taste of its massive dysfunction
Source: New York Post
by John Ketcham“Want to make banker money without stepping foot on Wall Street? Try plumbing for the New York City Housing Authority. From July 2024 through June 2025, NYCHA plumber supervisor Jakub Markowski earned $465,000, including $332,000 for nearly 2,600 hours in overtime — more than the mayor and City Council speaker make combined. While he collected these checks, Markowski also operated two private plumbing companies. The Buildings Department is now investigating him. As the city’s ascendant socialist left pushes for more housing in public or nonprofit hands, NYCHA’s history presents a sordid tale of dysfunction and corruption, with Markowski the latest apparent example.” (07/14/26)
- The Lockdown Disaster Must Not Be Forgiven
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Ian Miller“[L]ockdowns and the associated mask mandates, vaccine passports, and school closures continued in some places for several years. The ramifications of those wretched policies will be quite literally endless. It’s not an exaggeration to say that lockdowns, our policies, and responses have quite literally changed the course of world history. One would think that there would definitely be a concerted effort to understand whether such policies were effective or not. Whether approaching respiratory viruses with authoritarian crackdowns on businesses and schools was necessary to save lives. Yet six years later, there’s unfortunately very little interest in examining those questions. And when you understand the data from Sweden, you will see exactly why.” (07/14/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-lockdown-disaster-must-not-be-forgiven/
- Trump Supporters Are Pathetic Cucks, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone
by Caitlin Johnstone“Being a Trump supporter in 2026 is like staying best friends with a man who stole your wife. He’s deceived and betrayed you at every turn and you’re still swinging from his nuts? That’s cucky, humiliating behavior.” (07/14/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/07/14/trump-supporters-are-pathetic-cucks-and-other-notes/
- FREEDOM
Source: Cobden Centre
by Philip Vande Elst“According to the latest detailed annual survey (2026) of global freedom produced in New York by Freedom House, only 21% of the world’s population live in ‘free countries’ and global freedom has declined for the 20th consecutive year. Add to these grim statistics the huge potential threat to personal privacy and liberty posed by current advances in surveillance technology, and the desire of governments to use them, and no room for complacency should remain in anyone’s mind about the fragility of the world’s few genuinely free societies.” (07/14/26)
- Price Fixing at the Pump
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Ninos P Malek“Is it the legitimate role of government to pressure or threaten private businesses over the prices they voluntarily charge for their own property? Most economists would begin with the basic function of prices. Market prices are not arbitrary numbers; they communicate information about scarcity, demand, costs, and alternatives. When prices are allowed to adjust freely, they coordinate millions of decisions made by consumers, producers, wholesalers, and retailers. That is why virtually every textbook on the principles of economics warns that government-imposed price controls—whether they are ceilings intended to ‘protect consumers’ or floors designed to guarantee sellers a ‘fair price’—produce unintended consequences.” (07/14/26)
- Pikachu’s Pokémon Price Information
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Kevin Van Elswyk“Pikachu is a yellow mouse and the internationally-recognized mascot of the Pokémon Franchise. Pokémon’s beginning was a game and disconnected (‘Pocket Monsters’) playing cards decades ago. Over time, it has spawned a TV series, a monopoly game, and a worldwide card collection fever. The tangible cards are now an ersatz currency to reward chore completion, trade for other cards, cash, and bitcoin. Bartering lives, and the card collection fever illustrates Austrian economics.” (07/14/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/pikachus-pokemon-price-information
- Democrats’ affordability scam collapses in states they actually run
Source: Fox News
by Liz Peek“Democrats are lying to voters, claiming to be the party that can deliver ‘affordability.’ Nothing could be farther from the truth. … Democrat-run cities and states are, with few exceptions, the most expensive in the nation. The reasons include pro-labor rules that drive up wages and costs, regulatory overreach that creates hurdles and delays, energy policies that inflate electricity and gasoline bills, and reckless spending, which leads to high taxes. High taxes, another Democrat specialty, inflate the price of everything as they are passed along to the consumer.” (07/14/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/liz-peek-democrats-affordability-scam-collapses-states-they-run
- On the Manchester model
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Miles Saltiel“Burnham’s Manchester model is a game of bait and switch. It uses funds obtained from the Public Works Loan Board, an arm of the Treasury, which explicitly declines to look at the uses to which its money is put. Manchester loans these funds on to local projects, also free of arm’s-length scrutiny, in effect using the national credit rating for local projects. This brings to mind other public borrowers who believed that big Daddy would keep them out of trouble (bankers call malarkey of this kind ‘moral hazard’) leading to, eg, Argentine defaults, where provincial profligacy hides behind central guarantees. The Manchester model is not yet a big thing in the UK, but Burnham gives the impression that he believes he’s found the secret sauce.” (07/14/26)
- Cory Doctorow Is Making Peace with AI
Source: Washington Monthly
by Anita Jain“Less than four years after ChatGPT’s debut, we are nowhere near understanding the role AI will play in our lives. Will it be as transformative as the internet? Will it cause mass unemployment? Will the next generation forfeit its capacity to think to AI models? Will we all soon be using AI agents to book our hotels and flights? How to scythe through the bramble? Cory Doctorow, a science fiction novelist and one of our keenest observers of technology, is out with The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence—Before It’s Too Late, a companionable guide to the subject.” (07/14/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/07/14/cory-doctorow-is-making-peace-with-ai/
- New federal aid honors innate aspirations
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Starting this month, a working adult in their mid-30s seeking to upgrade their skills will have access to the same source of federal financial aid that is available to a high school graduate heading off to a four-year degree institution in the fall. Workforce Pell grants, which went into effect July 1, have the potential to widen the pathway to greater education and economic opportunity for tens of thousands of Americans not able or not ready to pursue a traditional college degree. Until now, these individuals have been limited to their own savings, employer-supported training, or costly loans when seeking to incrementally build their skills and earning prospects. ‘For students who need to be able to access short-term training … [Workforce Pell] really helps open the door for access to higher education, at that bite-size level,’ as Sarah Carrico, an administrator at Saint Paul College in Minnesota, explained to NPR recently.” (07/13/26)
- Tucker Carlson’s left-right, third party dream
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jack Hunter“The popular conservative media giant has left the GOP and says exiles from both parties need to work together on matters of ‘war and finance.'” (07/14/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/tucker-carlson-third-party/
- Trump Guts Two National Monuments “At the Behest of Polluting Corporations Who Seek to Ravage Them’”
Source: Common Dreams
by Jake Johnson“US President Donald Trump on Monday signed proclamations dramatically shrinking the size of two national monuments in Utah, eliminating roughly 3 million acres of protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante and potentially opening the beloved, wildlife-rich areas to industry exploitation. Trump’s proclamations, issued at the urging of Utah Republicans including Sen. Mike Lee, aim to reduce Bears Ears to just under 121,100 acres (down from nearly 1.4 million) and Grand Staircase-Escalante to 181,541 acres (down from 1.87 million). … During a signing ceremony on Monday, flanked by Utah Republicans, Trump characterized his scaling back of monument protections as an effort to give land ‘back to the people of Utah.’ The president falsely claimed that people could ‘virtually not even walk on’ the lands under the protections he targeted.” (07/14/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-shrinks-national-monuments
- Making Government Work From Within
Source: Liberal Currents
by Christopher Whitaker“As we think about what a new reconstruction may look like, one of the major points of tension will be the rules and regulations that bind the actions of the government machinery. One the one hand, the rules cause friction in the gears that get things done. Procurement is slow. Hiring is slow. Policy changes are slow. It will be immensely frustrating to those coming in to fix the government to be told to be patient after so much damage has been done. However, those rules are there for good reason. After all, hiring your buddy in a no-bid contract is how you get a reflecting pool full of algae.” (07/14/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/making-government-work-from-within/
- Liberalism Needs to Reconstruct Itself
Source: Persuasion
by Marlene Laruelle“The movement’s electoral defeats are no accident. Something more than restoration is needed.” (07/14/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/liberalism-needs-to-reconstruct-itself
- After Ankara, Deep State and Euro Hawks Celebrate Wins
Source: The American Conservative
by Harrison Berger“As a candidate, Donald Trump famously promised to end the war in Ukraine ‘within 24 hours’ of taking office. This past week, he acknowledged that Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure represent an ‘escalation’ in the conflict and offered new support for Kiev’s war effort. ‘It’s an escalation,’ Trump said, ‘but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end of the war.’ … That view—which sees Ukraine’s war as winnable, if only the West will send enough money and weapons—has been the consensus among foreign policy elites since this thing kicked off. Now, aided by Western news outlets, hawks in Europe and our own national security bureaucracy are successfully selling this narrative to a gullible president who had previously resisted their blandishments.” (07/14/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/after-ankara-deep-state-and-euro-hawks-celebrate-wins/
- The twisted trail of Lindsey Graham
Source: The Hill
by Bill Press“Of my four years of high school Latin, very little has stuck. But one phrase remains lodged in my mind: ‘De mortuis nil nisi bonum.’ Loosely translated, that means ‘Of the dead, don’t say anything but good things.’ That dictum popped into my head when I learned the sad news of the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). But life is not that black and white. Yes, there are many good things to be said about Graham, but his life and political career are so complex it defies characterization as all positive or all negative.” (07/14/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5966936-lindsey-graham-political-journey/
- Chekhov, the Military Budget, and Endless Wars
Source: CounterPunch
by Bruce Altschuler“Diplomacy is difficult. It requires patience together with deep knowledge of the country on the other side and the issues under negotiation. The nuclear agreement Barack Obama negotiated with Iran took nearly two years and was 160 pages long. The negotiating team included experienced diplomats and scientists compared to Trump’s team of two real estate developers, one of whom is his son-in-law. Meanwhile, the American military, obviously far superior to that of Iran, presented another option. As Anton Chekhov put it, albeit in a very different context, ‘One must not put a loaded rifle upon the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.'” (07/14/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/14/chekhov-the-military-budget-and-endless-wars/
- The New York Times Explainer for Its Catch-and-Kill Report to Benefit Graham Platner
Source: Townhall
by Brad Slager“Over the weekend, The New York Times came out with an overview of its coverage last month of the Graham Platner sexual assault allegations. It was just over one month ago when the outlet delivered its quasi-exposé on three women detailing troubling experiences with the Senate candidate who possesses no discernible resume. The primary focus was on Lyndsey Fifield, and there have been contentious reactions about that report—Fifield included. … If you are wondering why The Times is now doing this dose of introspection, it is because Fifield has since taken her story—and evidence—to CNN, and the network was able to do what The Times reporters Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer were incapable of doing, and that is to corroborate Fifield’s details with others. This becomes an even more scalding hit to the paper’s credibility.” (07/13/26)
- The Moon as a Test Case for Coercion Theory: US Interests in a New Space Race
Source: Hoover Institution
by Dan Berkenstock & Walter J Manuel“China aims to land taikonauts on the Moon before 2030—before the US returns to the lunar surface—and set the operating rules that will govern future lunar activity. Traditional deterrence won’t work in a domain where the US is unable to project military force, and space treaties lack enforcement. This essay presents four conflict scenarios to show what’s at stake, and proposes a near-term US strategy of accelerated missions, allied coordination, clear red lines, and concrete military doctrine.” (07/14/26)
https://www.hoover.org/research/moon-test-case-coercion-theory-us-interests-new-space-race
- Government racism has divided us for 250 years; time to put an end to it
Source: Fox News
by Corey Brooks“Like most Americans, I took part in the festivities over America’s 250th birthday. I found it quite remarkable to reflect on that number. On one hand, America is 250 years old, with so much history. On the other hand, America is still a baby compared to many other countries. I found myself having to pause and think about what was nagging me about that number. Two hundred and fifty years. Then the answer came to me. Two hundred and fifty years also marks how long race has played a role in this nation — and still does. Those who say race is as much a part of America as apple pie are not entirely wrong. We may not have the Klan riding through the streets, but I’m not talking about that kind of racism. I’m talking about government-sponsored racism.” (07/14/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/government-racism-divided-us-250-years-time-put-end-it
- The Most Important Educators Are You
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Angelo Monaco“When mainstream schooling, media, and digital spaces reflect a dominant ideological lean, proactive conversations at home become essential to giving children a balanced perspective. Actively engaging your children in the principles of freedom, liberty, and natural rights equips them with the critical thinking skills needed to question prevailing narratives rather than absorb them passively. By introducing these foundational concepts early, you provide them with a moral and philosophical anchor, ensuring they understand that true rights are inherent to the individual, not granted by the state.” (07/13/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/the-most-important-educators-are-you/
- The Rise and Fall of the Oxbridge Dons
Source: Law & Liberty
by Max Skjönsberg“Colin Kidd’s new book charts the fate of Britain’s elite intelligentsia in the postwar period.” (07/14/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-oxbridge-dons/
- If Democrats Want to Win, They Should Stop Spending In Red States
Source: Project Liberal
by Hamsters“There’s a familiar temptation in politics. The temptation to treat federal funding like a tool for ideological compliance. Starve blue states for funds, punish them until they fall in line, and run your victory lap. Turn the thermostat the other way, and red states get the same harsh treatment. The entire political game becomes less about good governance and more about finding which backs to scratch and which backs to stab. This isn’t a proposal for selective use of power but a decentralized, non-partisan strategy. Deciding which rural areas get flooded with cash while other areas starve for cash is bad.” (07/13/26)
https://projectliberal.substack.com/p/if-democrats-want-to-win-they-should
- Trump Watch, 07/14/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Left-Right Silence on Venezuela.” (07/14/26)
- TAC Right Now, 07/14/26
Source: The American Conservative
“TAC Executive Director Curt Mills and Correspondent Harrison Berger speak with Amir Handjani, a partner at Karv Global and board member of The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft who has years of experience in the petroleum industry. They discuss the resumption of hostilities in the Iran War, the status and future of the Strait of Hormuz, and the prospects for ending the conflict.” (07/14/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-iran-war-restarts/
- The Bryan Hyde Show. 07/14/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“It’s my weekly visit with Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos. We talk about wars and rumors of war-mongers, flock cameras and the importance of choosing truth over party.” (07/14/26)
- The Big Interview Podcast, 07/14/26
Source: Wired
“This Luddite Puppet Hopes You’re Not Reading This on Your Smartphone.” (07/14/26)
https://www.wired.com/story/the-big-interview-podcast-summer-of-ludd-gowanus/
- Show-Me Institute Podcast, 07/14/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“A U.S. Attorney’s Perspective on Criminal Justice Reform with Thomas C. Albus.” (07/14/26)
- The Good Fight, 07/14/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“John Harpham on the Intellectual Origins of American Slavery.” (07/14/26)
- Real Unity, 07/13/26
Source: Free the People
“Politics Isn’t Redemptive: The Danger of Political Idolatry | Noelle Fitchett.” (07/13/26)
- Compound Interest, 07/14/26
Source: Semafor
“AI is coming for lawyers. Are they ready?” (07/14/26)
- The Chris Spangle Show, 07/13/26
Source: We Are Libertarians
“The Declaration of Independence at 250: Dan Miller on America’s Founding.” (07/13/26)
https://www.chrisspangle.com/p/the-declaration-of-independence-at
- Advisory Opinions, 07/14/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Plenty of Culture War Stuff.” (07/14/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/plenty-of-culture-war-stuff/
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/13/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Saudis Bomb Sanaa Airport in Yemen, Trump Says US ‘Reinstating’ Blockade of Iran, and More.” (07/13/26)
- Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 07/14/26
Source: Politico
“Is the Democratic establishment clapping back?” (07/14/26)